This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for governing the speed and acceleration of a gas turbine engine system of the type having a combustion air compressor and a gas turbine on a common shaft and a combustion chamber, where said governing apparatus has a speed governor for varying the fuel flow as a function of the speed of said shaft.
The present invention contemplates providing means for speed governing which cooperates with means for limiting acceleration and deceleration and employs the ultimate compressor pressure as an index value to control the fuel or injection flow, and simple automatic trimming means which permit optimum speed adjustments to be made at all possible operating conditions also in the presence of efficiency fluctuations at high altitudes and when use is made of different fuel grades.
This apparatus is equally well suited for maintaining safe service conditions when with vehicular or stationary gas turbine engines employing heat exchangers the transition is made from operation with cold heat exchanger to operation with a hot one. This compensation for temperature changes of the heat exchanger is done indirectly by regulating the fuel flow as a function of the speed of rotation of the common shaft and as a function of the pressure of the compressor.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.